LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

malus1

malus (feminine mala, neuter malum, comparative peior, superlative pessimus, adverb male)
Classical[ˈma.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈmaː.lus]
malus dictionary form; sg. nom. m.№ 227 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectiveunpleasant, distressing, painful, nasty, bad
    Abī in malam crucem, malum cruciātum.Get lost, fuck off!
    Mala rēs.Trouble, bad business.
  2. adjectiveunpleasant to the senses, sight, smell, taste, touch
    Mala faciēs.Ugly face.
  3. adjectivebad, evil, wicked, mischievous
    Malus et nēquam homō.An evil and wicked man.
    Dolus malus.Deliberate deception, malice afterthought (legal language).
  4. adjectivedestructive, hurtful, noxious, evil
    Consuētūdō mala.A bad habit.
    Mala vōta, carmina susurrāre.To whisper evil spells, incantations.
  5. adjectiveunkind, hostile, abusive
    Mala verba.Abuses.
  6. adjectiveassociated with bad luck, unlucky, unfavourable, unfortunate, adverse, evil
    Mala tempestās.Bad, unfavourable, unsuitable weather.
    Malam fāmam ferre.To bring bad reputation, ill fame.
  7. adjectivepoor in condition or capacity, inept
    Mala merx/mers.A bad lot (of persons).
    Malā mente esse.To be out of one's mind.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Metamorphoses I cover
trabs alta nāvis, quae vēla sustinet
mālus -ī (m) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 23

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativemalusmalamalum
genitivemalīmalaemalī
dativemalōmalaemalō
accusativemalummalammalum
ablativemalōmalāmalō
vocativemalemalamalum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativemalīmalaemala
genitivemalōrummalārummalōrum
dativemalīsmalīsmalīs
accusativemalōsmalāsmala
ablativemalīsmalīsmalīs
vocativemalīmalaemala

Lewis & Short A Latin Dictionary, 1879

mălus, a, um, adj. Sanscr. mala, dirt; Gr. μέλας, black; cf. macula; Germ. mal in Mutter-mal, etc..—
I. Comp.: pējor, pejus.—Sup.: pessimus, a, um, bad, in the widest sense of the word (opp. bonus), evil, wicked, injurious, destructive, mischievous, hurtful; of personal appearance, ill-looking, ugly, deformed; of weight, bad, light; of fate, evil, unlucky, etc.: malus et nequam homo, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 1: pessima puella, Cat. 36, 9; 55, 10: delituit mala, Plaut. Rud. 2, 5, 9: philosophi minime mali illi quidem, sed non satis acuti, Cic. Off. 3, 9, 23: malam opinionem habere de aliquo, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 24, § 59: consuetudo, Hor. S. 1, 3, 36: conscientia, Quint. 12, 1, 3: mens, id. ib.: mores, Sall. C. 18: fures, Hor. S. 1, 1, 77: Furiae, id. ib. 2, 3, 135: virus, Verg. G. 1, 129: cicuta, Hor. S. 2, 1, 56: libido, Liv. 1, 57: falx, Verg. E. 3, 11: gramina, id. A. 2, 471: carmen, i. e. an incantation, Leg. XII. Tab. ap. Plin. 28, 2, 4, § 17: abi in malam rem, go and be hanged! Ter. And. 2, 1, 17: pugna, unsuccessful, adverse, Cic. Div. 2, 25, 54; Sall. J. 56: avis, i. e. ill-boding, Hor. C. 1, 15, 5; cf. id. ib. 3, 6, 46: ales, id. Epod. 10, 1: aetas, burdensome, i. e. senectus, Plaut. Aul. 1, 1, 4: haud mala est mulier, not badlooking, id. Bacch. 5, 2, 42: facies, Quint. 6, 3, 32; Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 43: crus, i. e. deformed, Hor. S. 1, 2, 102: pondus, i. e. light, deficient, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 156.—Of the sick: in malis aeger est, in great danger, Cels. 3, 15 fin.: tempus a quo omnis aeger pejor fiat, id. 3, 5 med.: eo tempore fere pessimi sunt qui aegrotant, id. ib.—In neutr. sing., as adv.: ne gallina malum responset dura palato, Hor. S. 2, 4, 18.—Comp.: pejor, worse: via, Hor. S. 1, 5, 96.—Hence,
1. mă-lum, i, n., any thing bad, an evil, mischief, misfortune, calamity, etc.
A. In gen.: orarem, ut ei, quod posses mali facere, faceres, Plaut. Bacch. 3, 6, 25: quam sit bellum, cavere malum, Cic. de Or. 1, 58, 247: nihil enim mali accidisse Scipioni puto, id. Lael. 3, 10: hostes inopinato malo turbati, Caes. B. C. 2, 12: externum, i. e. bellum, Nep. Hamilc. 21: ne in cotidianam id malum vertat, i. e. febris, Cels. 3, 15: hoc malo domitos potius cultores agrorum fore, quam, etc., Liv. 2, 34, 11.—
B. In partic.
(a). Punishment; hurt, harm, severity, injury: malo domandam tribuniciam potestatem, Liv. 2, 54, 10: malo exercitum coërcere, Sall. J. 100, 5: sine malo, Plaut. Rud. 4, 4, 81; so Ter. Eun. 4, 4, 45; Liv. 4, 49, 11: vi, malo, plagis adductus est, ut frumenti daret, ill-usage, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 23, § 56: amanti amoenitas malo est: nobis lucro est, is hurtful, injurious, Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 5: clementiam illi malo fuisse, was injurious, unfortunate, Cic. Att. 14, 22, 1: malo hercle magno suo convivat sine modo, to his own hurt, Enn. ap. Non. 474, 23 (Sat. v. 1 Vahl.): olet homo quidam malo suo, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 165: male merenti bona es: at malo cum tuo, to your own hurt, id. As. 1, 3, 3.—
(b). Wrong-doing: causae, quae numquam malo defuturae sunt, Sen. de Ira, 1, 16, 3: sperans famam exstingui veterum sic posse malorum, Verg. A. 6, 527; Anthol. Lat. 1, 178.—
(g). As a term of abuse, plague, mischief, torment: quid tu, malum, me sequere? Plaut. Cas. 1, 3: qui, malum, alii? Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 10: quae, malum, est ista tanta audacia? Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 20, § 54; so id. Off. 2, 15, 53; Curt. 8, 14, 41.—
(d). As an exclamation, alas! misery! Plaut. Capt. 3, 3, 16; id. Men. 2, 3, 37 Brix ad loc.—
2. măle, adv., badly, ill, wrongly, wickedly, unfortunately, erroneously, improperly, etc.: dubitas, quin lubenter tuo ero meus, quod possiet facere, faciat male? will do all the harm to him, etc., Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 66: si iste Italiam relinquet, faciet omnino male, et, ut ego existimo, ἀλογιστως, will act altogether unwisely, Attic. ap. Cic. Att. 9, 10: di isti Segulio male faciant, do harm to him, punish him, Cic. Fam. 11, 21, 1: o factum male de Alexione! id. Att. 15, 1, 1: male velle alicui, to wish ill, Plaut. As. 5, 1, 13: Karthagini male jamdiu cogitanti bellum multo ante denuntio, cogitare de aliquo, Cic. Sen. 6, 18: male loqui, id. Rosc. Am. 48: male loqui alicui, for maledicere, Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 25: male accipere verbis aliquem, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 54, § 140: equitatu agmen adversariorum, male habere, to harass, annoy, Caes. B. C. 1, 63: hoc male habet virum, annoys, vexes him, Ter. And. 2, 6, 5: male se habere, to feel ill, dejected, low-spirited, id. Eun. 4, 2, 6: male est animo, it vexes me, id. Ad. 4, 5, 21: male est animo, I feel unwell, Plaut. Curc. 2, 3, 33: male fit animo, I am beginning to feel bad, am getting unwell, id. Rud. 2, 6, 26: L. Antonio male sit, si quidem, etc., evil betide him! (a formula of imprecation), Cic. Att. 15, 15, 1: quae res tibi vertat male, much harm may it do you! Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 37: male tibi esse malo quam molliter, I would rather you should be unfortunate than effeminate, Sen. Ep. 82, 1: proelium male pugnatum, unsuccessfully, Sall. J. 54, 7: ea quae male empta sunt, at a bad bargain, Cic. Att. 2, 4, 1: male vendere, at a sacrifice, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 98, § 227: male reprehendunt praemeditationem rerum futurarum, id. Tusc. 3, 16, 34: male tegere mutationem fortunae, Tac. H. 1, 66: male sustinere arma, unskilfully, Liv. 1, 25, 12: non dubito, quin me male oderit, i. e. very much, intensely, Caes. ap. Cic. Att. 14, 1, 2: male metuo, ne, etc., exceedingly, much, Ter. Hec. 3, 2, 2: rauci, miserably, Hor. S. 1, 4, 66.— When attached to an adjective, it freq. gives it the opposite meaning: male sanus = insanus, insane, deranged, Cic. Att. 9, 15, 5: male sana, with mind disturbed, Verg. A. 4, 8: gratus, i. e. ungrateful, Ov. H. 7, 27: male fidas provincias, unfaithful, Tac. H. 1, 17: statio male fida carinis, unsafe, Verg. A. 2, 23.—Comp.: oderam multo pejus hunc quam illum ipsum Clodium, Cic. Fam. 7, 2, 3; cf.: pejusque leto flagitium timet, Hor. C. 4, 9, 50; and: cane pejus vitabit chlamydem, id. Ep. 1, 17, 30.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)mel-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*(s)molos?
  3. Proto-Italic*malos
  4. Archaic Latinmalos
  5. Latinmalus

Uncertain. Perhaps from Proto-Italic *malos, from Proto-Indo-European *mol-o- (“bad?”), from *(s)mel-. Within Italic, the term is probably connected to Oscan mallom, mallud (“bad”). More broadly, it is perhaps related to Old Irish mell (“destruction”), Ancient Greek μέλεος (méleos, “idle, unhappy”), Lithuanian mẽlas (“lie”), and the first element of Ancient Greek βλάσφημος (blásphēmos, “jinx”). De Vaan, however, considers this etymology uncertain, arguing that this word family consists of "largely isolated words in different IE branches". Earlier associated with Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas, “black, dark”), but support for this is waning. Also compare Avestan 𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 (maⁱriia, “treacherous”) and Sanskrit मल (mala, “dirtiness, impurity”).

Elsewhere
  • Italianmalo
  • Frenchmalfrom Old French mal
  • Englishmalfrom Old French mal
  • Occitanmalfrom Old Occitan mal
  • Portuguesemaufrom Old Galician-Portuguese mao
  • Sardinianmalu
  • Sardinianmalosu
  • Spanishmalo
  • Englishmalus
  • Asturianmalu
Padanian
  • Romagnolmêl
noun · femininesecond declension
mālus2
mālus f (genitive mālī)
Classical[ˈmaː.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈmaː.lus]
mālus dictionary form; sg. nom.№ 227 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. an apple tree; specifically, a plant in the genus Malus in the family Rosaceae.
    Mālus bifera.An apple tree bearing fruit biannually.
    Et sterilēs platanī mālōs gessēre valentēs.And the fruitless plane trees have borne strong apple trees.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemālusmālī
genitivemālīmālōrum
dativemālōmālīs
accusativemālummālōs
ablativemālōmālīs
vocativemālemālī

Lewis & Short A Latin Dictionary, 1879

mālus, i, f., Gr. μηλέα,
I. an appletree: malus bifera, Varr. R. R. 1, 7: et steriles platani malos gessere valentes, Verg. G. 2, 70: malus granata, the pomegranate, Isid. 17, 7, 6: felices arbores putantur esse quercus...malus, etc., Macr. S. 3, 20, 2.

Origins

From mālum n (“apple fruit”). The ending follows the common Latin pattern of having second-declension feminine tree names in -us corresponding to neuter fruit names ending in -um (compare pirus f, pirum and mōrus f, mōrum). The fruit name was borrowed from Doric Greek μᾶλον (mâlon, “apple fruit”), probably ultimately from a substrate root. (Compare Attic μῆλον (mêlon, “apple fruit”), μηλέα (mēléa, “apple tree”).)

Descendants
  • Italianmelofrom Vulgar Latin *mēlus
  • Romanianmărfrom Vulgar Latin *mēlus
  • Englishmalus
  • Aromanianmerfrom Vulgar Latin *mēlus
  • Megleno-Romanianmerfrom Vulgar Latin *mēlus
  • TranslingualMalus
noun · masculinesecond declension
mālus3
mālus m (genitive mālī)
Classical[ˈmaː.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈmaː.lus]
mālus dictionary form; sg. nom.№ 227 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. a mast of a ship
    mālum ērigī imperāreto order the mast to be put up
    attollere mālōsto raise up the masts
  2. a standard or pole to which the awnings spread over the theater were attached
  3. the beam in the middle of a winepress
  4. the corner beams of a tower
    turrium mālībeams of the towers
    nostrarum turrium altitudinem [...] commissis suarum turrium malis adaequabantThey equaled the height of our towers … by the beams of their towers spliced togetherc. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico VII.22

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemālusmālī
genitivemālīmālōrum
dativemālōmālīs
accusativemālummālōs
ablativemālōmālīs
vocativemālemālī

Lewis & Short A Latin Dictionary, 1879

mālus, i, m. by some referred to root mac-; Gr. μακρος; Lat. magnus; but perh. the same word with 2. malus,
I. an upright mast, pole, or beam.
I. In gen.: malos exaequantes altitudinem jugi surrexit, Front. Strat. 3, 8, 3.—
II. Esp.
A. A mast of a ship: ut si qui gubernatorem in navigando agere nihil dicant, cum alii malos scandant, etc., Cic. Sen. 6, 17: malum erigi, vela fieri imperavit, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 34, § 88: attolli malos, Verg. A. 5, 829: malo suspendit ab alto, id. ib. 5, 489: saucius, injured, Hor. C. 1, 14, 5.—
B. A standard or pole, to which the awnings spread over the theatre were attached, Lucr. 6, 110; Liv. 39, 7, 8.—
C. The beam in the middle of a wine-press, Plin. 18, 31, 74, § 317.—
D. The corner beams of a tower: turrium mali, Caes. B. G. 7, 22, 4.

Origins

Uncertain. De Vaan suggests that the term could derive from Proto-Italic *mazdo-, itself perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂sdo-. However, De Vaan notes that a comparison with Proto-Germanic *mastaz and Middle Irish maide (“stick”) requires a pre-form *mādos with a shift of d to l. Schrijver, alternatively, connects the term with mās (“male”) The uncertain etymology allows for the possibility of a substrate origin.